Volume - I, Feb 2010 Issue

EU um S IK K IM

times
Indo-Netherlands First ISO 9001: 14001 Certified University In India.
research project UGC Recognised & DEC Approved
Department of Biotechnology and at EIILM University EIILM University Newsletter
Environmental Science experience the newSpecial
world...
Biotech Issue
Ms. Vartika Mathur,
Asst. Professor,

W e are pleased to inform everyone that our Final Year M.Sc. Biotechnology and M.Sc.
Environmental Science students have been successfully placed for their summer training
and dissertation in various reputed Institutes and organization. Best wishes to all the
Dept. of Zoology, HIV RESEARCHERS SOLVE KEY PUZZLE AFTER 20 YEARS OF TRYING
S.V. College
R
esearchers have made a breakthrough in HIV research that had eluded scientists for over 20

inside
students for a successful start up and a bright career. We also congratulate Ms. Ongmu Tamang and years, potentially leading to better treatments for HIV, in a study published today in the
Ms. Nishika Jaishee for their coordinated effort to achieve this goal. We take this is opportunity to (Delhi University),
thank Mr. Mahadev Chettri, GM, Citrus Dieback Research, Mr. Ajit singh, Head HR, Zydus Cadilla,
journal Nature. The researchers, Dr Peter Cherepanov, the lead author of the study from the
Department of Medicine at Imperial College London and his collaborators at Harvard University, This ISSUE
Mr. Deepak Gupta, Chief Chemist, YUKSOM Breweries, Dr. H. Rahman, ICAR, Joint Director,

I
have grown a crystal that reveals the structure of an enzyme called integrase, which is found in
Mr. Ramesh Kumar, GM, CIPLA for extending this golden opportunity to our students to gain s holder of Nuffic Grant retroviruses like HIV. When HIV infects someone, it uses integrase to paste a copy of its genetic
HIV Researchers - P. 1
valuable inputs from your esteemed organization. Arctic Climate Changing Fast - P. 1
in the Netherlands information into their DNA. Prior to the new
Student Name Course of Study Institute / Industry for summer training study, which was funded by the Medical Research Editor's Message - P. 1
Rani kumari Sinha M.Sc. Biotechnology Cipla Pharmaceuticals Pvt. Ltd.,Kumrek Fellowship Programme for Council and the US National Institutes of Health, Do You Know What is Allergy ? - P. 2
Tenzing W. Bhutia do Cipla Pharmaceuticals Pvt.Ltd.,Kumrek many researchers had tried and failed to work out
her Ph.D studies on “temporal the three-dimensional structure of integrase Stem Cell Research - P. 2
Pratima Pradhan do ICAR, Gangtok,Dept. of Biotechnology, India
dynamics of herbivore induced bound to viral DNA. New antiretroviral drugs for Genetically Modified Organism - P. 3
Purnamaya Karki do ICAR, Gangtok,Dept. of Biotechnology, India
HIV work by blocking integrase, but scientists did Managed Wolf Population - P. 3
Dilip Pandit do ICAR, Gangtok,Dept. of Biotechnology, India
responses in Indian mustard. not understand exactly how these drugs were
Chandan Rawat do ICAR, Gangtok,Dept. of Biotechnology, India working or how to improve them. Researchers can Bio Fun Facts - P. 3
Lalit Mohato do Indichem Pharmaceuticals pvt. Ltd, Kumrek Her studies will throw light on only determine the structure of this kind of Frankefood Fears - P. 4
Sumiran Poudyal do Citrus dieback Research station, Kalimpong. alternate strategies to control molecular machinery by obtaining high quality Researchers Fight World Hunger - P. 4
Bishal Sharma do Zydus Cadilla Pharmaceuticals Ltd, Rangpo crystals. For the new study, researchers grew a
Population & Family Planning - P. 4-5
Narmada Sharma M.Sc. Envi. & Ecology Yuksom Breweries Pvt Ltd,Yuksom insect pests in an crystal using a version of integrase borrowed from
a little-known retrovirus called Prototype Foamy Biotechnology & Mech. Engg. - P. 6
DhanMaya Rai do Yuksom Breweries Pvt Ltd Yuksom environmental friendly manner. Virus (PFV). Based on their knowledge of PFV integrase and its function, they were confident that it Golden age of GM Crops - P. 6
Her research supervisors are Dr. was very similar to its HIV counterpart. Over the course of four years, the researchers carried out over
Major Biotech Headlines - P. 7
40,000 trials, out of which they were able to grow just seven kinds of crystals. Only one of these was
A. Sankara Reddy, Vice of sufficient quality to allow determination of the three-dimensional structure. After growing the Department of Biotechnology - P. 8
crystals in the lab, the researchers used the giant synchrotron machine at the Diamond Light Source
Chancellor, EIILM University, in South Oxfordshire to collect X-ray diffraction data from these crystals, which enabled them to
Indo-Netherlands research Project - P. 8

Sikkim from India and Prof. determine the long-sought structure. The researchers then soaked the crystals in solutions of the
integrase inhibiting drugs Raltegravir (also known as Isentress) and Elvitegravir and observed for the
Nicole Van Dam (Radbound first time how these antiretroviral drugs bind to and inactivate integrase. The new study shows that
retroviral integrase has quite a different structure to that which had been predicted based on earlier
Editor’s Desk
Dear Readers,
University, Nimjegen and Prof. research. Availability of the integrase structure means that researchers can begin to fully understand
We are very pleased to take a maiden step
Lousie Vet (Netherlands how existing drugs that inhibit integrase are working, how they might be improved, and how to stop ahead in presenting the first edition of our
HIV developing resistance to them. newsletter, for our readers with the vision to
Institute of Ecology (NIOO- create a new forum for exchange of information
on all aspects. I thank all the members of
KNAW) / Wageningen Arctic Climate Changing Fast EIILMU, with whose joint as well as creative
University, Netherlands. contributions; it was possible to launch the
Newsletter into its existing state.

C
limate change is transforming the Arctic environment faster than expected and accelerating
Vartika Mathur, has the disappearance of sea ice, scientists said on Friday in giving their early findings from the EU-SPECTRUM is driven by the need to
biggest-ever study of Canada's changing north. The research project involved more than apprise our readers about the educational
successfully acquired a 370 scientists from 27 countries who collectively spent 15 months, starting in June 2007, aboard a events, functions or extracurricular activities or
research vessel above the Arctic Circle. It marked the first time a ship has stayed mobile in Canada's rigorous assessment of our students held
European Mobility grant of the high Arctic for an entire winter.
consistently at the campus in the process of
building personality traits as well as unfolding
International Doctoral College Climate change is happening much faster than our most pessimistic models expected, said David
Only Private Circulation

the secrets of subconscious mind with an

Barber, a professor at the University of Manitoba and the study's lead investigator, at a news conference earnest need to create Entrepreneurs with a
of the European University of in Winnipeg. vision to sense opportunities and take risks in
the face of uncertainty to open new markets,
Brittany (IDC-EUB) to Models predicted only a few years ago that the Arctic would be ice-
design products and develop innovative
free in summer by the year 2100, but the increasing pace of climate processes.
perform part of her PhD- change now suggests it could happen between 2013 and 2030,
Barber said. We would appreciate new and creative ideas of
S IK K IM research at the university of our faculties, students as well as our stake
Admission & Administrative Campus: Jorethang, District Namchi, Scientists link higher Arctic temperatures and melting sea ice to the holders so as to make EU-SPECTRUM as one
Sikkim-737121 (India), Tel.: 03595 - 276947 - 48, Rennes, France from April- greenhouse gas emissions blamed for global warming. The Arctic is of the most successful forum for exchange of
Main Campus: 8th Mile, Budang, Malabassey, West Sikkim-737121 (India) considered a type of early-warning system of climate change for the information.
August 2010. Dr. Prolay Das,
HOD Dept. Biotechnology &
rest of the world.
www.eiilmuniversity.ac.in I Email: info@eiilmuniversity.ac.in Environmental Science
DO YOU KNOW WHAT IS ALLERGY? Genetically Modified Organism: Acceptance And Controversy
The authors, Daniel S. Licht, of the National Park
Service, and four coauthors, note that research in
recent years has shown the importance of wolves

A n allergic reaction is the body's way of

responding to an "invader." When the body
senses a foreign substance,called an antigen,the
immune system is triggered. The immune system
normally protects the body from harmful agents such as
involve the whole body.
Minor injuries,hot or cold temperatures,exercise,or even
emotions may be triggers of allergic reactions.
Often,the specific allergen cannot be identified unless
Stem Cell Research Gets A Shot
In The Arm
B y far the most common genetically
modified (GM) organisms are crop
plants. But the technology has now
been applied to almost all forms of life,
represents progress.The root of genetic
engineering in crops lies in the 1977 discovery
that soil bug Agrobacterium tumefaciens can
be used as a tool to inject potentially useful
to ecosystems in which they naturally occur. For
example, the presence of wolves usually leads to
fewer ungulates, which in turn generally means
more plant biomass and biodiversity. Wolves can

bacteria and toxins. Its overreaction to a harmless
substance (an allergen) is called a hypersensitivity
reactiono,r an allergic reaction.
Anything which starts allergic reaction can be called an
allergen. Common dust,pollen,plants,medications,certain
foods,insect venoms,animal dander,viruses,or bacteria are
examples of allergens.
Reactions may occur in one spots,uch as a small skin rash
or itchy eyeso,r all overa,s in a whole body rash.
A reaction may include one or several symptoms.
In rare cases,an allergic reaction can be life-threatening
(known as anaphylaxis). Each year in the United States,
over 400 people die from anaphylactic reactions to
penicillin, and nearly 100 Americans die from
anaphylactic reactions to insects, according to the
Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America (AAFA).
Most allergic reactions are much less serious,such as a
rash from poison ivy or sneezing from hay fever. The
type of reaction depends on the person but is sometimes
unpredictable.
Allergies are very common. The AAFA states allergies
account for more than 17 million visits to the doctor each
year in USA. More than half
of all allergy visits are for
seasonal allergies. More than
7 million people visit their
doctor for skin allergies
annually, and food allergies
account for 30,000 visits to
the emergency room
Causes of Allergic Reaction
Almost anything can trigger
an allergic reaction.
The body's immune system
involves the white blood cells,
which produce
antibodies.When the body is exposed to an antigen,a
complex set of reactions begins.
The white blood cells produce an antibody specific to
that antigen. This is called "sensitization.”
The job of the antibodies is to detect and help destroy
substances that cause disease and sickness. In allergic
reactions,the antibody is called immunoglobulin E or
IgE.
This antibody promotes production and release of
chemicals and hormones called "mediators."
Mediators have effects on local tissue and organs in
addition to activating more white blood cell defenders.
you have had a similar reaction in the past.
Allergies and the tendency to have allergic reactions run
in some families. You may have allergies even if they do
not run in your family.
People with certain medical conditions are more likely
to have allergic reactions:
Prevention from allergic reaction
Most people learn to recognize their allergy triggers;
they also learn to avoid them.
Skin testing is the most widely used and the most
helpful. There are several different methods, but all
involve exposing the skin to small amounts of various
substances and observing the reactions over time.
Blood tests (RAST) generally identify IgE antibodies to
specific antigens.
Other tests involve eliminating certain allergens from
your environment and then reintroducing them to see if
a reaction occurs.
People with a history of serious or anaphylactic
reactions may be prescribed an autoinjector,sometimes
called a bee-sting kit. This contains a premeasured dose
of epinephrine (EpiPen is one brand name). You carry
this with you and inject
yourself with medication
immediately if you are
exposed to a substance that
causes you to have a severe
allergic reaction.
Allergic Reaction Treatment
Avoid triggers! If you know
you have an allergic reaction to
peanuts,for example,do not eat
them and go out of your way
to avoid foods prepared with
or around peanuts .
Self-care at home is not
enough in severe reactions. A severe reaction is a medical
emergency.
Do not attempt to treat or "wait out" severe reactions at
home. Go immediately to a hospital emergency
department.
If no one is available to drive you right away,call an
ambulance for emergency medical transport.
Use your epinephrine auto-injector if you have been
prescribed one by your doctor due to previous allergic
reactions (see "prevention" below).
Slight reactions with mild symptoms usually respond to
nonprescri ption allergy medications.
O
n march 9,2009 wrote in his order. He
U S p r e s i d e n t conceded that for the past
B a r a k o b a m a eight year the authority of the
signed an epoch making d e p a r t m e n t o f
executive order “removing Health(NIH),to fund and
barriers to responsible conduct human embryonic
scientific research involving stem cells research has been
human stem cells”.It is limited by presidential
indeed a shot in the arm of a c t i o n s . O n a u g u s t
the beleaguered stem cells 9,2001,Bush decided that
researchers. Steam cells federal funds may b awarded
are,”blank slate” cells which for research using human
can devide and renew over embryonic stem cells if “The
long periods.they ccan derivation process (which
develop into specialized
cell,tissue or organ and can
effectively serve as a sort of
repair system for the
body.medical specialist
believe that stem cells have
unlimited potential which
can be used to return
memory to Alzheimer's,the
patients to enable
wheelchair bound patient
to walk or to replace begins with the destruction of
damaged skin of patients. the embryo) was initiated
The possibility of miracle prior to 9.00 P.M.EDT on
cures lies tweaking the cells to august 9,2001;the stem cells
develop into new insuline- must have been derived from
producing cells to treat or an embryo that was created
e v e n c u r e d i a b e t i c s , for reproductive purposes and
cardiomyocytes to replace was no longer needed.”
damaged heart tissue or Stem Cells Are Blank State
cartilage cells to treat Cells Which Can Devide And
arthrities, new nerve cell Renew Over Long Period
connections to treat diseases Scientists have to wait till new
s u c h a s A l z h e i m e r ' s , guidelines governing what
P a r k i n s o n ' s a n d research can qualify for federal
A m y o t r o p h i c l a t e r a l support are issued by the
sclerosis(ALS), a progressive National Institutes of Health.
degenerative diseases that
attacks the motor neutrons in
There is another roadblock in
the form of Dickey-Wicker
the spinal cord;it leads to
debilitating paralysis space of
amendant which prohibits
the use of federal funds to
limbs and respiration.
support scientific work that
Appropriately morphed stem
from pets that glow under UV light to
bacteria which form HIV-blocking "living
condoms" and from pigs bearing spinach
genes to goats that produce spider silk.
GM tomatoes, as puree, first appeared on
British supermarket shelves in 1996 (a
different fresh GM tomato first appeared
in the US in 1994), but the consumer
furor that surrounded GM technology did
not erupt until February 1999. This was
because a controversial study suggested that
a few strains of GM potatoes might be
toxic to laboratory rats. Those experiments, toxin that is harmless to people.
subsequently criticized by other experts,
were carried out in Scotland by biochemist engineered crops - such as vitamin A-boosted
Arpad Pustzai. What followed was a
European anti-GM food campaign of near improve nutrition, that drought- or salt-
religious fervor. GM crops are today very
rare in Europe, strict labeling laws and
regulations are in place for food. Some
African nations have also opposed
engineered crops, even to the point of
rejecting international food aid containing men
them. GM produce has been taken up with t by
far less fuss in the US (where it does not
have to be labelled), India, China, Canada, mizi
Argentina, Australia and elsewhere.
However controversy over a type of GM
corn - only approved for animal feed -
which turned up in taco shells and other
products stirred opinion in the US.
The human race has methodically
improved crop plants through selective
breeding for many thousands of years, but
genetic engineering allows that time-
consuming process to be accelerated and
exotic traits from unrelated species to be
introduced. But not everyone agrees this is
Managed wolf populations could
restore ecosystems
foreign genes into plants. With the help of that
microbe, and other gene-implantation
technologies such as electroporation, and gene
guns, geneticists have developed a multitude of
new crop types.Most of these are modified to
be pest, disease or herbicide resistant, and
include: soya, wheat, corn (maize), oilseed rape
(canola), cotton, sugar beet, walnuts, potatoes,
peanuts, squashes, tomatoes, tobacco, peas,
sweet peppers, lettuce and onions, among
others. The bacterial gene Bt is one of the most
commonly inserted. It produces an insecticidal
Supporters of GM technology argue that
golden rice or protein-enhanced potatoes - can
resistant varieties can flourish in poor
conditions and stave off world hunger, and
that insect-repelling crops protect the
envi
ron
mini
ng
pesti
cide
use.
Oth
er plants have been engineered to improve
flavor, increase shelf life, increase hardiness and
to be allergen-free (see also: hay fever-free
grass). Geneticists have even created a no-tears
onion to banish culinary crying, and novel
caffeine-free coffee plants.
Deepankar Moktan, (Btech Biotech sem-IV),
EIILM University
also increase tourism.
Licht and his coauthors believe that wolves
introduced for the purpose of ecosystem
stewardship, rather than for the creation of self-
sustaining wolf populations, could enhance public
understanding and appreciation of the animals.
Advances in real-time animal tracking made
possible through global positioning system
technology, as well as the use of contraception and
surgery, could help in controlling the growth of
introduced populations. This approach might
mitigate concerns about depredation of livestock
and game, attacks on pets, and human safety,
Licht and colleagues maintain. Fences could also
play a role.
Wolves were introduced to Coronation Island,
Alaska, for ecosystem restoration in 1960, and
they successfully controlled deer there before the
wolf population grew and subsequently crashed.
Licht and his coauthors suggest that with more
intensive management this unfavorable outcome
could have been avoided, and that desirable results
could be expected at many sites in North America
and elsewhere, provided there are sufficient prey.
Ms. Nishika Jaishee,
Lecturer, EIILM Univeristy
Bio Fun Facts: Do You Know?
1.Dolphins cannot stay long underwater because they
breathe through their blowholes above water.
2.The biggest egg in the world is the ostrich egg. It could
take as many as 30 chicken eggs to equal its volume, and
up to 2 hours to hard boil. An ostrich egg is also the largest
existing single cell.
3.A kind of jellyfish (Turritopsis nutricula) upon reaching
adulthood can transform itself back to childhood by
converting its cells. It may repeat this to live forever.
4.The little Alaskan Wood Frog is capable of reviving itself
back to normal life after staying completely frozen for

It is these effects that cause the symptoms of the
reaction.
If the release of the mediators is sudden or extensive,the
allergic reaction may also be sudden and severe,and
anaphylaxis may occur.
Your allergic reactions are unique to you. For example,
your body may have learned to be allergic to shellfish or
other foods from repeated exposure. Most people are
aware of their particular allergy triggers and reactions.
Certain foods, vaccines and medications, latex rubber,
aspirin,shellfish,dust,pollen,mold,animal dander,and poison
ivy are well-known allergens.
Bee stingsf,ire ant stingsp,enicillina,nd peanuts are known
for causing dramatic reactions that can be serious and
An oral antihistamine, such as di phenhydramine
(Benadryl). Caution: These may make you too drowsy
to drive or operate machinery safely. They can affect
concentration and interfere with children's learning in
school. These medications should be taken for only a few
days.
For rashes,an antiinflammatory steroid cream such as
hydrocortisone can be used.
For small,localized skin reactions,try cold,wet cloths or
ice. Try applying a bag of frozen vegetables wrapped in
a towel as an ice pack.
Rizwan ahmed khan
(Lecturer, Department of Biotechnology
& Environmental Science), EIILM University
involves the creation of
cells may replace nerve cells
embryos.
damaged due to spinal injury.
“Advances over the past Scientist who want to create
decade in this promising embryos-and extracts stem
scientific field have been cells – matched to patients
encouraging, leading to with specific diseases,can not
broad aggrement in the get federal funding till
scientific community the Congress withdraws the
research should be supported amendment.
by Federal funds”,Obama Raj Rani (B.tech-Biotech, SEM-II),
EIILM University
2 3
R esearchers writing in the February issue months, during which its heart, brain and other organs
stop functioning.
of BioScience propose reintroducing
5.Some species of earthworm can have as many as 10
small, managed populations of wolves
hearts.
into national parks and other areas in order to
6.To avoid predators, a mother Slow Loris licks its offspring
restore damaged ecosystems. The populations
with poison before sending them off to search for food.
would not be self-sustaining, and may consist of
7.There are more species of fish in Amazon river than in the
a single pack. But the BioScience authors suggest
entire Atlantic Ocean (Over 2,000).
that even managed populations could bring
8.When the queen of a clownfish school dies, a male
ecological, educational, recreational, scientific,
clownfish changes its gender to become female and takes
and economic benefits. her place.
9.The acceleration rate of a flea's jump is 20 times that of a
space shuttle during launch.
10. While we're awake, our brain generates enough power
to illuminate a light bulb of 25 watts.
“FRANKENFOOD” FEARS
C
ritics fear that what they call
"Frankenstein foods" could
have unforeseen, adverse
health effects on consumers,
producing toxic proteins (and
allergens) or transferring antibiotic-
resistance and other genes to human
gut bacteria to damaging effect. But
there has been little evidence to back
up such risks so far.
More plausible threats are that
modified crops could become
insidious superweeds, or that they
could accidentally breed with wild
plants or other crops -
genetically polluting the
environment. This
could be a potentially
serious problem if
"pharm" crops,
engineered to produce
pharmaceutical drugs,
accidentally cross breed
with food varieties (or
seeds become mixed
up).
Large numbers of field
trials, carried out by the
UK government and others, reveal that
gene transfer does occur. One 2002
study showed that transgenes had
spread from US to traditional maize
varieties in Mexico. A 2004 study
Nithil Raika Thapa
revealed that conventional varieties of
(B.tech Biotech Sem-IV), EIILM University
major US food crops have also been
Researchers fight world hunger
by mapping the soybean genome
I n 2009, soybeans represented an almost
$30 billion industry in the U.S. alone,
making soybeans the second-most
profitable crop next to corn. Worldwide,
soybeans have been used in human foods
and livestock feed for centuries and have
been a key component in industrial
products, such as plastics and soy
biodiesel, an environmentally friendly
fuel. A team of researchers, including
University of Missouri researchers,
recently completed a study identifying
1.1 million base pairs of DNA in the
soybean genome, including more than
90 distinct traits that affect plant
widely contaminated. Another study
proved that pollen from GM plants
can be carried on the wind for tens of
kilometres.
Many experts agree that insect-
repelling plants will also speed the
evolution of insecticide-resistant pests.
Normal crops are often grown
alongside transgenic ones as refuges for
the pests, in an attempt to prevent
their accelerated evolution into
"superpests".
Environmentalists also argue that
growing GM crops affects farmland
biodiversity. Field trials to test for this
have produced mixed results - some
suggesting that GM crops actually
boost biodiversity.
development, productive characteristics,
disease resistance, seed quality and
nutrition, which could lead to extensive crop
improvements. Funded by the U.S.
Department of Energy,
University of Missouri-
Columbia scientists, in
collaboration with
researchers at other
institutions, mapped the
soybean genome to make
crop improvements and
provide a key reference for
more than 20,000 different
species of plants. Nguyen
already has begun
collaborating with animal
science and nutrition experts
to modify soybeans added to
animal feeds that could
increase the health value of
meat. Specifically, he is
looking at ways to impart
certain antioxidants that are
known to decrease the
frequency of cancer, and
proteins from soybeans into
the meat. Nguyen also is
studying the root system of
soybeans and how they
respond to drought. He's
pinpointing which proteins
or genes contribute to
drought tolerance.
“Perhaps the most exciting
thing that we have found for
the soybean community is
the gene that confirms
resistance to the devastating
Asian Soybean Rust disease,"
Nguyen said. "In countries
where this rust is well
established, soybean losses
can range from 10 to 80
percent. Improved soybean
strains resistant to the disease
will greatly benefit
Population and Family Planning
Policy: India
P
opulation growth has
long been a concern
of the government,
and India has a lengthy
history of explicit population
policy. In the 1950s, the
government began, in a
modest way, one of the
production and increase
foodstuffs around the world."
In addition to mapping the
soybean genome, MU
scientists have created a
database of soybean
transcription factors, which
regulate the expression of
genes and can turn genes on or
off. The database,
SoybeanDB, can be accessed
through a web server and
contains information such as
protein sequences, protein
family classifications and web
links to other protein
databases.
The genome research has been
published in the January issue
of Nature magazine, and
Nguyen's research on soybean
drought-tolerance has been
published in Plant, Cell and
E n v i r o n m e n t . Fa c u l t y
members from the MU
College of Agriculture Food
and Natural Resources,
College of Engineering and
the Christopher S. Bond Life
Sciences Center contributed
to the study. Nguyen was
recently elected as a Fellow of
the American Association for
the Advancement of Science
(AAAS) for his research
contributions in plant
genetics and genomics and
the national and international
recognition of his research
and leadership in plant abiotic
stress, most notably in
drought tolerance.
earliest national, government-
sponsored family planning
efforts in the developing
world. The annual population
growth rate in the previous
decade (1941 to 1951) had
been below 1.3 percent, and
government planners
4 5
optimistically believed that the population
would continue to grow at roughly the same rate.
Implicitly, the government believed that India
could repeat the experience of the developed
nations where industrialization and a rise in the
standard of living had been accompanied by a
drop in the population growth rate. In the 1950s,
existing hospitals and health care facilities made
birth control information available, but there
was no aggressive effort to encourage the use of
contraceptives and limitation of family size. By
the late 1960s, many policy makers believed that
the high rate of population growth was the
greatest obstacle to economic development. The
government began a massive program to lower
the birth rate from forty-one per 1,000 to a target
of twenty to twenty-five per 1,000 by the mid-
1970s. The National Population Policy adopted
in 1976 reflected the growing consensus among
policy makers that family planning would enjoy
only limited success unless it was part of an
integrated program aimed at improving the
general welfare of the population. The policy
makers assumed that excessive family size was
part and parcel of poverty and had to be dealt
with as integral to a general development
strategy. Education about the population
problem became part of school curriculum under
the Fifth Five-Year Plan (FY 1974-78). Cases of
government-enforced sterilization made many
question the propriety of state-sponsored birth
control measures, however.
During the 1980s, an increased number of family
planning programs were implemented through
the state governments with financial assistance
from the central government. In rural areas, the
programs were further extended through a
network of primary health centers and
subcenters. By 1991, India had more than
150,000 public health facilities through which
family planning programs were offered (see
Health Care, this ch.). Four special family
planning projects were implemented under the
Seventh Five-Year Plan (FY 1985-89). One was
the All-India Hospitals Post-partum Programme
at district- and subdistrict-level hospitals.
Another program involved the reorganization of
primary health care facilities in urban slum areas,
while another project reserved a specified
number of hospital beds for tubal ligature
operations. The final program called for the
renovation or remodelling of intrauterine device
(IUD) rooms in rural family welfare centers
attached to primary health care facilities.
Despite these developments in promoting family
planning, the 1991 census results showed that
India continued to have one of the most rapidly
growing populations in the world. Between 1981
and 1991, the annual rate of population growth
was estimated at about 2 percent. The crude birth
rate in 1992 was thirty per 1,000, only a small
change over the 1981 level of thirty-four per
1,000. However, some demographers credit this
slight lowering of the 1981-91 population growth
rate to moderate successes of the family planning
program. In FY 1986, the number of reproductive-
age couples was 132.6 million, of whom only 37.5
percent were estimated to be protected effectively by
some form of contraception. A goal of the seventh
plan was to achieve an effective couple protection rate
of 42 percent, requiring an annual increase of 2
percent in effective use of contraceptives.
The heavy centralization of India's family planning
programs often prevents due consideration from
being given to regional differences. Centralization is
encouraged to a large extent by reliance on central
government funding. As a result, many of the goals
and assumptions of national population control
programs do not correspond exactly with local
attitudes toward birth control. At the Jamkhed
Project in Maharashtra, which has been in operation
since the late 1970s and covers approximately 175
villages, the local project directors noted that it
required three to four years of education through
direct contact with a couple for the idea of family
planning to gain acceptance. Such a timetable was
not compatible with targets. However, much was
learned about policy and practice from the Jamkhed
Project. The successful use of women's clubs as a
means of involving women in community-wide
family planning activities impressed the state
government to the degree that it set about organizing
such clubs in every village in the state. The project
also serves as a pilot to test ideas that the government
wants to incorporate into its programs. Government
medical staff members have been sent to Jamkhed for
training, and the government has proposed that the
project assume the task of selecting and training
government health workers for an area of 2.5 million
people.
Another important family planning program is the
Project for Community Action in Family Planning.
Located in Karnataka, the project operates in 154
project villages and 255 control villages. All project
villages are of sufficient size to have a health
subcenter, although this advantage is offset by the fact
that those villages are the most distant from the area's
primary health centers. As at Jamkhed, the project is
much assisted by local voluntary groups, such as the
women's clubs. The local voluntary groups either
provide or secure sites suitable as distribution depots
for condoms and birth control pills and also make
arrangements for the operation of sterilization
camps. Data provided by the Project for Community
Action in Family Planning show that important
achievements have been realized in the field of
population control. By the mid-1980s, for example,
43 percent of couples were using family planning, a
full 14 percent above the state average. The project
has significantly improved the status of women,
involving them and empowering them to bring about
change in their communities. This contribution is
important because of the way in which the deeply
entrenched inferior status of women in many
communities in India negates official efforts to
decrease the fertility rate.
Studies have found that most couples in fact regard
family planning positively. However, the common
fertility pattern in India diverges from the two-child
family that policy makers hold as ideal. Women
continue to marry young; in the mid-1990s, they
average just over eighteen years of age at marriage.
When women choose to be sterilized, financial
inducements, although helpful, are not the principal
incentives. On average, those accepting sterilization
already have four living children, of whom two are
sons.
The strong preference for sons is a deeply held
cultural ideal based on economic roots. Sons not only
assist with farm labor as they are growing up (as do
daughters) but they provide labor in times of illness
and unemployment and serve as their parents' only
security in old age. Surveys done by the New Delhi
Operations Research Group in 1991 indicated that as
many as 72 percent of rural parents continue to have
children until at least two sons are born; the
preference for more than one son among urban
parents was tabulated at 53 percent. Once these goals
have been achieved, birth control may be used or,
especially in agricultural areas, it may not if
additional child labor, later adult labor for the family,
is deemed desirable.
A significant result of this eagerness for sons is that
the Indian population has a deficiency of females.
Slightly higher female infant mortality rates (seventy-
nine per 1,000 versus seventy-eight per 1,000 for
males) can be attributed to poor health care,
abortions of female fetuses, and female infanticide.
Human rights activists have estimated that there are
at least 10,000 cases of female infanticide annually
throughout India. The cost of theoretically illegal
dowries and the loss of daughters to their in-laws'
families are further disincentives for some parents to
have daughters. Sons, of course continue to carry on
the family line (see Family Ideals, ch. 5). The 1991
census revealed that the national sex ratio had
declined from 934 females to 1,000 males in 1981 to
927 to 1,000 in 1991. In only one state--Kerala, a
state with low fertility and mortality rates and the
nation's highest literacy--did females exceed males.
The census found, however, that female life
expectancy at birth had for the first time exceeded
that for males.
India's high infant mortality and elevated mortality
in early childhood remain significant stumbling
blocks to population control (see Health Conditions,
this ch.). India's fertility rate is decreasing, however,
and, at 3.4 in 1994, it is lower than those of its
immediate neighbors (Bangladesh had a rate of 4.5
and Pakistan had 6.7). The rate is projected to
decrease to 3.0 by 2000, 2.6 by 2010, and 2.3 by
2020.
During the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s, the growth rate
had formed a sort of plateau. Some states, such as
Kerala, Tamil Nadu, and, to a lesser extent, Punjab,
Maharashtra, and Karnataka, had made progress in
lowering their growth rates, but most did not. Under
such conditions, India's population may not stabilize
until 2060.
Rizwan ahmed khan
(Lecturer, Department of Biotechnology
& Environmental Science), EIILM University

Biotechnology and mechanical
engineering: two different worlds ?
M odern biotechnology has
b e c o m e a n
interdisciplinary
technology that not only integrates
food technology, pharmacy and
medical engineering, but other
disciplines. Biotechnology has entered
classical fields of industry such as
chemistry and mechanical
engineering. The question is how can
mechanical engineering benefit
biotechnology and vice versa.
At first sight, mechanical engineering
and biotechnology seem to be worlds
apart. However, this is not the case at
all. Classical biotechnology can trace
its roots back to the field of
engineering sciences. Biotechnology
creates new products and methods
that are made possible with new
mechanical or systems engineering
methods. The variety of
biotechnological processes has led to a
similarly high number of different
systems and plants that would not
have been possible without classical
mechanical engineering.
No biotechnology
without mechanical
engineering
The complete process chain of
biotechnology can be mapped out
using mechanical engineering: Highly
parallel robotic systems are used for
the identification of new drugs and
for the screening of microorganisms.
Cell cultivation involves different
reactor types and a complex
infrastructure of tubing, pumps,
valves, sensors and process control
elements. The products thus generated
are further processed using different
separation and purification methods.
And finally, the resultant pure
substances are bottled and packaged
using automated systems. There are
examples of many other fields in
which biotechnology is applied, for
example, environmental protection
and food production. However,
biotechnology and mechanical
engineering goes hand in hand– and
the whole field still has huge,
undiscovered potential.
Biotechnological
evolution in
mechanical
engineering
In the course of evolution, a highly
diverse and flexible world of
microorganisms developed from the
first primordial cells. Many organisms
live under extreme environmental
conditions and are equipped to tackle
any kind of problem. It is worthwhile
further exploiting the enormous
potential these natural helpers have
for industrial societies. Biotechnology
has been known for thousands of
years; the fermentation processes
originally used in the production of
food have since been further
developed to produce highly effective
recombinant pharmaceuticals. But it
will be interesting to see how it is
possible for biotechnology to be used
to remove rust from metal!!!!!!!!!
Potential of
biotechnology
Biotechnological processes involve
the composition, modification and
decomposition of material using
living organised systems. Mechanical
engineering also deals with these
topics. For example, bionics is a
bridge between natural construction
principles and mechanical
engineering. Examples of bionic
development are the production of
light but stable working parts and
better hydro- and aerodynamics.
Mechanical engineering also concerns
the modification and protection of nanomachines? Biotechnology is
surfaces. Microorganisms grow on already used in mechanical
surfaces and modify the structure engineering. Biolubricants,
of such surfaces. What are the
advantages and disadvantages of
produced from renewable
resources, can not only be
this nanoscale interaction and how degraded biologically, but also
can new materials be generated? Is have better qualities than
it possible to convert cellular traditional lubricants. More than
production processes into 450 different biolubricants and
mechanical engineering processes? hydraulic oils are already on the
Can biological systems be used as market.
examples for micro- and
Arun Kappen, Lecturer
Mechanical Engg. Deptt., EIILM University
Golden age of GM crops:
Fatty acids good for heart found in
fishes to be produced in soyabeans
T
HE war over genetically modified foods is entering a new
phase. At last, the GM industry has produced a product
designed to have real benefits for consumers. Its oil from
soybean modified to produce omega-3 fatty acids essential for health
and proven to reduce the risk of heart disease. It can be added
unobtrusively to ordinary food products, potentially bringing health
benefits to millions
The oil contains a dietary precursor of EPA, an omega-3 fatty acid that
is vital for heart health. The new crop could also relieve some pressure
on the world's fish stocks. Demand for omega-3 fatty acids is rising,
and at present, the principal way to obtain them is from fish.
Created by Monsanto, the soybean is a far cry from just about
everything that the industry has thrown at us so far: modified crops
benefiting no one but seed companies and farmers
GM crops have been grown on a large scale for more than a decade, and
by and large, the predicted environmental catastrophes haven't
materialised, nor has anyone suffered health problems through eating
GM food.
First-generation GM crops may even have brought unexpected benefits.
A recent report from UK consultancy PG Economics charting the
global impact of GM crops from 1996 to 2007 found that over that
period, pesticide spraying dropped by 8.8 per cent. And because fields
don't have to be tilled before planting GM crops, energy savings in
2007 alone amounted to the equivalent of removing 6.3 million cars
from the road. These findings are disputed by environmental groups
and need to be independently confirmed, but if they hold up it will be
time for the technology's critics to reconsider.
Tapas Ghosh,
(B.tech-Biotech, SEM-IV), EIILM University
6 7
Major Biotech Headlines
1. Biodiversity Law Could
Stymie Research
Tighter rules on accessing and developing
genetic resources may be counterproductive
for conservation.Scientists who study the
world's biodiversity are facing a dilemma:
proposals to regulate access to the riches of
ecological hotspots may hamper the research
needed to monitor these areas.
The warning comes as signatories to the
Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD)
begin negotiating ways to strengthen the
treaty's legal framework and goals, which
include conserving biodiversity and
promoting the sustainable use of natural
resources. Nature, Feb 2010 issue
2. New Korean Science
City Caught in Political
Crossfire
Plans for a new $34 billion Korean science
city inched forward last week when the
South Korean administration unveiled
enabling legislation that will eventually go
to the National Assembly. But opposition
political parties may thwart the city,
proposed for a spot 120 kilometers south of
Seoul named Sejong after a former Korean
king, in protest of the administration
backing away from also making the location
home to 13 ministries and government
agencies. If the revised plans are blocked,
the scientific projects might also be given
up. Nature, Feb 2010 issue
3. Big Battle Brewing
Over Elephants at
Upcoming CITES Meeting
Wildlife advocates and scientists are
concerned that a proposed sale of elephant
tusks may spur even more poaching of the
animals in Africa. International trade in
ivory is banned by the Convention on
International Trade in Endangered Species
of Wild Fauna and Flora, but Tanzania vaccines. The immune system is made to
and Zambia have asked the convention for see something as foreign and can then
a special sale of 101 tons of ivory seized destroy it itself. This has the chance to be
from poachers. Nature, Feb 2010 issue curative.”
The hypothesis behind cancer vaccines is
4. Separate policy for not necessarily to prevent the disease.
food processing Instead, once a patient has been
diagnosed, the vaccine programs the
industry in Karnataka immune system to search for cancer cells
Karnataka will become the first state in and destroy them. The vaccine then
India to have a separate policy for the food
triggers the immune system to recognize
processing industries, according to state leukemia cells if they return, which
Minister for Large and Medium Scale
prevents a relapse of the disease. The
Industries Murugesh Nirani. vaccine is created by removing cells from
'We had success in IT (information the patient's blood and manipulating them
technology) and BT (biotechnology). in the laboratory. The cells are given two
genes that act as flags to help identify the
Now, we are focusing on FT or food
leukemia. It effectively focuses and boosts
technology,' Nirani told the media here
Friday after a meeting with Union the immune system's ability to seek out
and destroy cancer cells. The research is to
Minister for Food Processing Industries
be published in an upcoming issue of
Subodh Kant Sahay.
Cancer Immunology Immunotherapy. The
5. Leukemia Vaccine research was carried out at King's College
London's Experimental Cancer Medicine
Under Development in
Centre (ECMC), which is one of 17 new
the UK centers across the United Kingdom
British scientists have developed a vaccine launched to develop basic science into
treatments for patients as quickly as
treatment for leukemia that can be used to
stop the disease returning after possible.
chemotherapy or bone marrow transplant. Ongmu Tamang, Lecturer,
Biotechnology, EIILM University
The vaccine is due to be assessed on
patients for the first time. Eventually, it is
hoped the drug, which activates the body's
own immune system against the leukemia,
could be used to treat other types of
cancers. The study led by Prof. Ghulam
Mufti, Prof. Farzin Farzaneh, and Dr.
Nicola Hardwick has involved
comprehensive work to develop a synthetic
virus, which carries the two genes into the
immune system. Farzin Farzaneh,
professor of molecular medicine, in the
department of hematooncology at the
College, reported that if the trials are
successful then the vaccine could be
“rolled out” to treat other leukemias and
cancers. “It is the same concept as normal